The Daily News opinion blog

Main menu

Post navigation

Dodger fans trash Elysian Park

It’s too bad that Dodger fans aren’t as proud of their city as they are of their city’s baseball team.

Blue-shirted Dodger fans started the partying early Monday, barbecuing and drinking beer way before 9 a.m. in the picnic areas of Elysian Park adjacent to Dodger Stadium. As I walked the dogs at 8:30 a.m. I was surprised to see so many people drinking beer, blasting music and cooking up afternoon food. That’s Opening Day for ya.

I can forgive people partying on a special day, which was also Cesar Chavez Day. But I can’t forgive their trashing of my neighborhood. Here’s a few snapshots of just one corner of Elysian Park this morning. It was pretty representative of the other areas I saw as well. I did learn something, though: Dodger fans seem to prefer light beer, a conclusion I came to from the sheer number of discarded cardboard Bud Light and Michelob Light 12-pack holders on this morning’s run.

And Dodgers flacks wonder why the stadium’s neighbors aren’t thrilled on game days.

typical – if you notice it is the Bud Light Drinkers who consistently leave their containers at ALL parks..in the curbs and elsewhere…seems to be a certain ethnic group…they know who they are

Mercy

Over the course of the last 10 years, I’ve become more and more embarassed to be a Dodgers fan. In the ’70s and ’80s I used to joke that the worst a Dodgers fan would do to you was use harsh language. Last year a Giants relief pitcher said he was worried about being knifed. How did we come to this? How did we get here? Where’s the respect? Where’s the honour? And why can’t people clean up after themselves? Your photos are disappointing and heartbreaking.

this means: foot patrol parking-type park cops needed to patrol uncivilized thugs and give out tickets for trashing the city they’re not citizens of.

Anonymous

U NEED TO SERIOUSLY GET A LIFE! UR NOT PICKING UP THE SHIT! & IF DODGERS BASEBALL BUGS U THAT MUCH… MOVE!

Ruben

Maybe then you can STOP writing on LATIMES and start writing to the DODGERS and ask them to allow Tailgating like the other 32 MLB teams. Dodgers are the Most vistited and Paid attendance past 30 years, can’t you get more security and LAPD and allow peaceful tailgaters and stop using violence as excuse. Dont let a few bad apples ruin it for rest of us TRUE dodger fans. Let us tailgate there and let them hire some cleaning crew to clean up and that should fix the problem, what do you think?

EL CHANGO

YEAH THIS IS JACKED UP, PEOPLE SHOULD CLEAN UP AFTER THEMSELFS AND THE PARK SHOULD HAVE MORE TRASH CANS.

Ruby Jackson

Anon, I hate people like you. Where should we MOVE to? Another planet? We’re all in this together. Selfish bastard.

Robert

A lot of the comments here miss the point of being responsible for your own actions, which the trashers are not. The city has to pay for employees time to clean up the mess.

The “all about me” attitude shows on the posts. The business motive of the Dodgers is the prime reason for no tailgating. The more that people eat outside, the less they will buy inside. The drinking? Same thing, and they don’t want the problems of drunk people acting up.

Another problem the Dodgers might want to avoid- serving customers already intoxicate. It risks loss of the alcohol license, criminal penalties on the server, and civile liability exposure for what harm the drunks may do to themselves or others.

Also, the trash makers probably don’t all live in the City of L.A., so costs for city services don’t matter to them.

A good rule here is to “Treat the public spaces like you would your own property”- of course, maybe some trashers are doing just that.

Sergio

Hey I was one of those tailgaters and I’ve been tailgating for years. I for one picked up after myself and made sure the rest of my party cleaned up too! I have to say this was probably the worst I’ve seen the after party mess outside the stadium. Part of it was because that there are so few trash cans and too many people making trash. The last few years they had someone from the city pick up the trash mid-day and actually give out trash bags to the tailgaters. Why don’t they do this throughout the park on this special event every year? I know you’re still gonna have some pigs out there but what can u do? Everyone knows it’s going to be madness so don’t act all surprised u big chillon!! Oh yeah next time just say who that particular ethnic group it is ur talking about uchickenshit!! I’m Mexican and I drink Pacifico so u must be talking about the weightwatchers ethnicity!! Peace and GO DODGERS!!